EP4650585A1

EP4650585A1 - Modulated air-cooled heat exchanger for hydrid electric thermal management systems

Info

Publication number: EP4650585A1
Application number: EP25177354.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Thomas E. Clark; Bryan Kupferman; Ethan K. Stearns
Original assignee: RTX Corp
Current assignee: RTX Corp
Priority date: 2024-05-17
Filing date: 2025-05-19
Publication date: 2025-11-19
Also published as: US20250354500A1; US12492648B2

Abstract

A gas turbine engine (100) includes a fan section (102), a heat exchanger (116), and inlet door (122). The fan section (102) is configured to generate an airflow. The heat exchanger (116) is configured to transfer heat from a thermal management system (114) to the airflow. The inlet door (122) is configured to modulate the airflow to the heat exchanger (116).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to gas turbine engine devices and processes. More specifically, this invention relates to a modulated air-cooled heat exchanger for hybrid electric thermal management systems.

BACKGROUND

Industry-wide design trends for gas turbine engines have included a general push towards incorporating hybrid electric systems, which use high-power motor generators and motor controllers integrated into gas turbine aircraft engines. However, this presents new challenges associated with the management of system waste heat. Classical approaches of increasing the size of a heat exchangers to better reject system waste heat in low air-flow operating conditions may solve the problem of increased system heat management capacity; however this typically is not a viable solution due to the increased drag losses incurred by the large heat exchangers at cruise.

SUMMARY

This invention provides a modulated air-cooled heat exchanger for hybrid electric thermal management systems.
According to a first aspect of the invention, an apparatus includes a fan section, a heat exchanger, and inlet door. The fan section is configured to generate an airflow. The heat exchanger is configured to transfer heat from a thermal management system to the airflow. The inlet door is configured to modulate the airflow to the heat exchanger.
In an embodiment of the above, the inlet door includes a housing and a cylinder with a main flow path and a modulated flow path.
In an embodiment of any of the above, the main flow path includes first and second openings; and the modulated flow path includes a third opening.
In an embodiment of any of the above, the inlet door operates in a fully open state with the first opening exposed outside of the housing, the second opening exposed to an inlet duct of the heat exchanger, and the third opening is blocked by the housing.
In an embodiment of any of the above, the third opening is fully blocked by the housing.
In an embodiment of any of the above, the inlet door operates in a fully modulated state with the first opening partially exposed outside of the housing, the second opening partially exposed outside of the housing, and the third opening exposed to an inlet duct of the heat exchanger.
In an embodiment of any of the above, the inlet door operates in a partially modulated state with the first opening partially exposed outside of the housing and the third opening exposed to an inlet duct of the heat exchanger.
In an embodiment of any of the above, the second opening is fully blocked by the housing.
In an embodiment of any of the above, the apparatus further includes a modulation control actuator configured to control a rotation of the cylinder in the housing for the modulation of the airflow.
In an embodiment of any of the above, the apparatus further includes a modulation control actuator configured to control the modulation of the airflow by the inlet door.
This aspect may extend to an assembly comprising the apparatus of any of the above (or as claimed in any of the claims) and a thermal management system in thermal communication with the heat exchanger.
According to a second aspect of the invention, a gas turbine engine includes a thermal management system, a fan section, a heat exchanger, and inlet door. The thermal management system is configured to remove heat from heat-generating components of the gas turbine engine. The fan section is configured to generate an airflow. The heat exchanger is configured to transfer heat from a thermal management system to the airflow. The inlet door is configured to modulate the airflow to the heat exchanger.
In an embodiment of the above, the inlet door includes a housing and a cylinder with a main flow path and a modulated flow path.
In an embodiment of any of the above, the main flow path includes first and second openings; and the modulated flow path includes a third opening.
In an embodiment of any of the above, the inlet door operates in a fully open state with the first opening exposed outside of the housing, the second opening exposed to an inlet duct of the heat exchanger, and the third opening is blocked by the housing.
In an embodiment of any of the above, the third opening is fully blocked by the housing.
In an embodiment of any of the above, the inlet door operates in a fully modulated state with the first opening partially exposed outside of the housing, the second opening partially exposed outside of the housing, and the third opening exposed to an inlet duct of the heat exchanger.
In an embodiment of any of the above, the inlet door operates in a partially modulated state with the first opening partially exposed outside of the housing and the third opening exposed to an inlet duct of the heat exchanger.
In an embodiment of any of the above, the second opening is fully blocked by the housing.
In an embodiment of any of the above, the gas turbine engine further includes a modulation control actuator configured to control a rotation of the cylinder in the housing for the modulation of the airflow.
In an embodiment of any of the above, the gas turbine engine further includes a modulation control actuator configured to control the modulation of the airflow by the inlet door.
Other technical features may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions, and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, reference is made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 illustrates an example gas turbine engine in accordance with this disclosure;
FIGURES 2A and 2B illustrate an example configuration for a modulated inlet door and heat exchanger in accordance with this disclosure; and
FIGURES 3A and 3B illustrate an example modulated inlet door in accordance with this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGURES 1 through 3B, described below, and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in any type of suitably arranged device or system.
Hybrid electric thermal management systems may include sensitive power electronics and high-power motor-generators. Power electronics may be limited to coolant temperatures below 100°C, for example. The low system coolant temperatures drive the need for large heat exchangers, even at moderate power levels (~200 KW) of hybridization power functions. The large heat exchangers incur engine weight penalties, and large nacelle drag loss penalties at cruise. The hybrid electric thermal management system is typically limited at maximum hot day (MHD) ground idle conditions where fan mass flow is both limited and at low-pressure ratio across the heat exchanger.
Heat exchangers may be sized to a ground idle sizing point. Because of this, it is desirable to reduce loss penalties at cruise where the heat exchanger is over-sized, which may be accomplished via modulation of fan air entering the heat exchanger.
FIGURE 1 illustrates an example gas turbine engine 100 in accordance with this disclosure. FIGURES 2A and 2B illustrate an example configuration for a modulated inlet door and heat exchanger in accordance with this disclosure. FIGURES 3A and 3B illustrate an example modulated inlet door in accordance with this disclosure.
As shown in FIGURE 1, gas turbine engine 100 is disclosed as a turbofan engine that generally incorporates a fan section 102, a compressor section 104, a combustor section 106, and a turbine section 108. The fan section 102 drives air along a bypass flow path 110 in a bypass duct defined within a nacelle 112, while the compressor section 104 drives air along a core flow path for compression and communication into the combustor section 106 then expansion through the turbine section 108. Although described below as a two-shaft turbofan gas turbine engine in the disclosed non-limiting embodiment, it should be understood that the concepts described herein are not limited to use with two-shaft turbofans as the teachings may be applied to other types of turbine engines, such as turboshaft engines, prop fan or other engines including three-shaft architectures, direct drive architectures, and/or the like. Alternate propulsors to an enclosed fan section 102 may be a propellor or open-rotor fan.
The gas turbine engine 100 generally includes a low-speed shaft and a high-speed shaft mounted for rotation about an engine central longitudinal axis relative to an engine static structure via several bearing systems. It should be understood that various bearing systems at various locations may be provided.
The low-speed shaft generally includes an inner shaft that interconnects a fan (in the fan section 102), a first (or low) pressure compressor (in the compressor section 104), and a first (or low) pressure turbine (in the turbine section 108). The low-speed shaft may be connected to the fan through a speed change mechanism (such as a gear box). The high-speed shaft includes an outer shaft that interconnects a second (or high) pressure compressor (in the compressor section 104) and a second (or high) pressure turbine (in the turbine section 108). In some examples, a combustor (in the combustor section 106) may be arranged in the gas turbine engine 100 between the high-pressure compressor and the high-pressure turbine. In some examples, a mid-turbine frame of the engine static structure may be arranged generally between the high-pressure turbine and the low-pressure turbine. The mid-turbine frame further supports bearing systems within the turbine section 108. The low-speed shaft and the high-speed shaft are concentric and rotate via bearing systems about the engine central longitudinal axis, which may be collinear with the longitudinal axes of the low-speed shaft and the high-speed shaft. The low-pressure compressor, the low-pressure turbine, the high-pressure compressor, and the high-pressure compressor may contain multiple stages.
The core airflow can be compressed by the low-pressure compressor then the high-pressure compressor, mixed and burned with fuel in the combustor, then expanded over the high-pressure turbine and low-pressure turbine. The turbines may rotationally drive the respective low-speed shaft and high-speed shaft in response to the expansion. It will be appreciated that each of the positions of the fan section 102, compressor section 104, combustor section 106, turbine section 108, and gear box may be varied. For example, gear box may be located aft of combustor section 106 or even aft of turbine section 108, and fan section 102 may be positioned forward or aft of the location of gear box.
The gas turbine engine 100 can include a thermal management system 114 that is used to draw heat from different components that are operating within the gas turbine engine 100 including the hybrid electric motor generators and power electronics. The thermal management system 114 can be fluidly connected to a heat exchanger 116 positioned within the nacelle 112 in the bypass flow path 110. A fluid medium can be used within the thermal management system 114 and the heat exchanger 116 to transfer heat. The fluid medium can draw heat from components through the thermal management system 114. The heated fluid medium can be routed from the heat management system 114 to the heat exchanger 116 through a heat exchanger supply 118. The fluid medium can transfer the heat to the fan air passing through the nacelle 112. The cooled fluid medium can be routed from the heat exchanger 116 to the hybrid electric thermal management system 114 through a heat exchanger return 120. The fluid medium can be a gas, such as air, or a liquid. Alternatively, the fluid medium may be two-phase comprising both gas and liquid.
The fan air can be modulated prior to the heat exchanger 116. Modulation can be achieved by reducing the fan mass flow rate through the heat exchanger 116 and reducing the nacelle drag loss pressure term by dynamically allocating the minimum flow rate needed by the hybrid electric thermal management system. Fan-air modulation can be achieved by rotation of an inlet door 122 that controls the inlet area of an inlet duct 124 (FIGURES 2A and 2B) to the heat exchanger 116. The exhaust duct exit 126 can be fixed for simplicity. Modulation may be controlled by controller software, such as full authority digital engine control (FADEC) or electronic engine control (EEC) software, via continuous or discrete control of fan mass flow. The benefits include modulation of a hybrid electric thermal management system heat exchanger (AOC) enables reduced nacelle drag losses at cruise with minimal overall weight impact at the engine level. Other benefits include adaptively tailoring modulation of the AOC (continuous control) to mission needs (MHD ground idle, cold day ground idle, etc.).
The modulation of the inlet door 122 can be adjusted by a modulation control actuator 128 using kinematic linkage 130 (FIGURE 1). Non-limiting examples of kinematic linkage 130 can include a scotch yoke, two bar arrangements, and/or the like. The modulation control actuator 128 can be connected to an electrical or fluidraulic (fuel hydraulic) service 132. The electrical or fluidraulic service 132 can provide the control for the actuator 128, whether as electrical signal or hydraulic fluids.
To modulate the fan air, the inlet door 122 can be rotated between a fully open state, shown in FIGURE 2A, and a fully modulated state, as shown in FIGURE 2B. The inlet door may be rotated to any partial state between fully open and fully modulated.
The inlet door 122 can be adjusted to control the flow of fan air through the heat exchanger 116. The inlet door 122 includes a cylinder 302 and a housing 304. The cylinder 302 can rotate within the housing 304 by means of the modulation control actuator 128. While the inlet door 122 is illustrated as a cylinder 302 with a main flow path 202, which includes a first opening 204, a second opening 206, and a third opening 208, the inlet door 122 can be formed in any shape with more or less openings. In the fully open state, the fan air flow through the first opening 204 through the second opening 206 into the inlet duct 124, and the third opening 208 is blocked by the housing 304 of the inlet door 122. In the fully modulated state or the fully closed state, the first opening 204 and the second opening 206 are partially blocked by the housing 304, and the third opening 208 is opened to the inlet duct 124.
Although FIGURES 1-3B illustrate an example gas turbine engine 100 in accordance with this disclosure, various changes may be made to FIGURE 1. For example, the various components in FIGURES 1-3B may be combined, further subdivided, replicated, omitted, or rearranged and additional components may be added according to particular needs. In particular, the inlet door 122 may have other arrangements and flow paths.
It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document. The terms "application" and "program" refer to one or more computer programs, software components, sets of instructions, procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, related data, or a portion thereof adapted for implementation in a suitable computer code (including source code, object code, or executable code). The term "communicate," as well as derivatives thereof, encompasses both direct and indirect communication. The terms "include" and "comprise," as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The term "or" is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrase "associated with," as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, have a relationship to or with, or the like. The phrase "at least one of," when used with a list of items, means that different combinations of one or more of the listed items may be used, and only one item in the list may be needed. For example, "at least one of: A, B, and C" includes any of the following combinations: A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and A and B and C.
The description in the present disclosure should not be read as implying that any particular element, step, or function is an essential or critical element that must be included in the claim scope. The scope of patented subject matter is defined only by the allowed claims.
While this disclosure has described certain embodiments and generally associated methods, alterations and permutations of these embodiments and methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the above description of example embodiments does not define or constrain this disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and alterations are also possible without departing from the scope of this disclosure, as defined by the following claims.

Claims

An apparatus comprising:
a fan section (102) configured to generate an airflow;

a heat exchanger (116) configured to transfer heat from a thermal management system (114) to the airflow; and

an inlet door (122) configured to modulate the airflow to the heat exchanger (116).
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inlet door (122) includes:
a housing (304); and

a cylinder (302) with a main flow path (202) and a modulated flow path.
The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:
the main flow path (202) includes first and second openings (204, 206); and

the modulated flow path includes a third opening (208).
The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the inlet door (122) is operable in a fully open state with the first opening (204) exposed outside of the housing (304), the second opening (206) exposed to an inlet duct (124) of the heat exchanger (116), and the third opening (208) at least partially blocked by the housing (304).
The apparatus of claim 4, wherein, in the fully open state, the third opening (208) is fully blocked by the housing (304).
The apparatus of any of claims 3 to 5, wherein the inlet door (122) is operable in a fully modulated state with the first opening (204) partially exposed outside of the housing (304), the second opening (206) partially exposed outside of the housing (304), and the third opening (208) exposed to an inlet duct (124) of the heat exchanger (116).
The apparatus of any of claims 3 to 6, wherein the inlet door (122) is operable in a partially modulated state with the first opening (204) partially exposed outside of the housing (304) and the third opening (208) exposed to an inlet duct (124) of the heat exchanger (116).
The apparatus of claim 7, wherein, in the partially modulated state, the second opening (206) is fully blocked by the housing (304).
The apparatus of any of claims 2 to 8, further comprising a modulation control actuator (128) configured to control a rotation of the cylinder (302) in the housing (304) for the modulation of the airflow.
The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a modulation control actuator (128) configured to control the modulation of the airflow by the inlet door (122).
A gas turbine engine (100) comprising:
the apparatus of any preceding claim; and

a thermal management system (114) in thermal communication with the heat exchanger (116) and configured to remove heat from heat-generating components of the gas turbine engine (100).